As both consumers and developers await the release of Apple's iPad on Saturday, Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers announced Wednesday that it is doubling its investment pool for software on Apple's App Store to $200 million.

Apple could boost its least expensive iPod this fall with a redesign and 4GB of storage, according to one report. Also, Quark has shipped a major overhaul of its long-running publishing software, the iFund is now backing a game developer, and Apple is now offering daily statistics to iPhone software developers for their App Store sales.

With the announcement of the first 3G BlackBerry compatible with the same high-speed networks as the upcoming 3G iPhone, Research in Motion has set itself up for what will likely be the defining smartphone battle of 2008.